Klay Alexander Thompson, born on February 8, 1990, is an American professional basketball player renowned for his time with the Golden State Warriors. Part of the "Splash Brothers" duo, he is celebrated as one of the best three-point shooters ever.
Thompson's career boasts numerous accolades, including four NBA championships, five NBA All-Star selections, two All-NBA Third Team honors, and a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. His journey to NBA stardom is rooted in a family with a strong athletic background.
However, given how private Thompson has been, there is not a lot known about the Warriors’ star player.
Let's delve into his ethnicity and family background.
Family and Ethnicity
Klay Thompson was born in Los Angeles to Julie and Mychal Thompson. His father, Mychal Thompson, was born in Nassau, Bahamas, and has a Caribbean ethnicity. He came to the US when he was still a young boy. Klay Thompson’s mother Julie Thompson has a Caucasian ethnicity. Which means that Thompson has a mixed ethnicity.
Read also: Majestic Thomson Falls
Klay Thompson has a big sports background. His mother was a college-level volleyball player and his father was a professional basketball player in the NBA. Julie Thompson played volleyball at the college level for the University of San Francisco. She was born in Washington and also was a track and field athlete. Mychal Thompson played in the league and had a 14-year old career in the league.
Mychal Thompson played for the Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs and The LA Lakers. He won two championships with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988 when he was teammates with Lakers greats like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Klay Thompson has an elder brother Mychel Thompson, who also played in the NBA, for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he spent most of his career in the NBA G-League. Thompson’s younger brother, Trayce Thompson is a professional baseball player who plays for the New York Mets.
College Career
Before his NBA success, Thompson played college basketball for three seasons with the Washington State Cougars, where he earned two first-team all-conference selections in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12).
Thompson started all 33 games as a freshman for Tony Bennett at Washington State University, leading his team in three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, and averaging 12.5 points per game.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
Thompson began his sophomore season by leading the Cougars to the Great Alaska Shootout Championship, being named its Most Outstanding Player after scoring a tournament single game record of 43 points in its championship. This was also the third highest single game point total in WSU history.
After becoming the third fastest Cougar to reach 1,000 points, Thompson was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team. He earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors twice during the season and was chosen as a midseason candidate for the John R. Thompson led the Pac-10 in scoring as a junior, again earning All-Pac-10 first team honors.
He became just the third Cougar to win first-team all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches twice in his career. Thompson also became the first Cougar to be named Pac-10 Player of the Week three times when he won the award for the week of Nov. 22-28, extending the record to four after the week of December 6-12.
Soon after, Thompson was named one of the 30 midseason candidates for the John R. On January 18, 2020, Washington State retired the No. 1 that Thompson wore in college.
NBA Career
Klay Thompson was selected 11th by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft. Thompson has won four NBA titles with the Warriors and has been one of the members of the Warriors’ trio with Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Thompson was one of the three crucial pieces that were instrumental in building the Warriors’ dynasty. So far, Klay Thompson has played 766 regular season games and started in 728 of those games. He averages 19.6 PPG on 45.3% field goal and 41.3% from beyond the arc.
Thompson was not selected for the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge. On January 29, 2013, Thompson scored a season-high 32 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Warriors coach Mark Jackson said that Thompson and Stephen Curry formed the best shooting duo in NBA history. That season, they combined made 483 three-pointers, the most ever by an NBA duo at the time.
The Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and were next matched up against the San Antonio Spurs. On May 8, 2013, Thompson recorded a playoff career-high 34 points against San Antonio, hitting 8-of-9 three-pointers, to go along with a career-high 14 rebounds.
In the opening game for the Warriors, Thompson scored a season-high 38 points, including 5-of-7 three-pointers. He and Curry set an NBA record for 484 combined threes on the season, besting by one the record they set the previous year. Thompson averaged 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists on the year.
On October 31, 2014, Thompson signed a four-year, $70 million contract extension with the Warriors. The next day, he scored a then career-high 41 points in the Warriors' 127-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
On January 23, 2015, Thompson scored a career-high 52 points, with 11 three-pointers, in a 126-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings. In the third quarter of that game, he scored an NBA-record 37 points for a single quarter, going 13-for-13 from the field, including nine three-pointers (also a league record for a single quarter).
On March 8, 2015, Thompson hit three three-pointers against the Los Angeles Clippers to pass head coach Steve Kerr (726) on the NBA's all-time list. On March 17, he was ruled out for 7-10 days with a sprained ankle. That season, Curry broke his own record for three-pointers (286), and Thompson again finished second in the league (239) as the two combined to make 525 threes, surpassing their previous record by 41.
Thompson opened the first seven games of the 2015-16 season shooting only 13-of-36 from 3-point range (36 percent). In the last 11 games of November, Thompson then shot a combined 32-of-73 from beyond the arc (43.8 percent). The Warriors' NBA-record start ended at 24 wins when they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on December 12.
In the Warriors' next game, on December 16, Thompson scored 27 of his then season-high 43 points in the third quarter of their 128-103 win over the Phoenix Suns. On January 8, he recorded his third consecutive game with 30 or more points, finishing with 36 points in a 128-108 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
On January 27, he scored a season-high 45 points on 14-of-20 shooting in a 127-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The following night, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, earning his second straight All-Star nod. On February 13, he competed in the All-Star Weekend's Three-Point Contest and won the event after defeating Curry and Devin Booker in the final round.
On March 25, he scored 40 points against the Dallas Mavericks. As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Warriors faced the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. In Game 5 of the series, Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven three-pointers in consecutive playoff games, as he helped the Warriors advance through to the second round with a 4-1 victory, stepping up with Curry out injured.
The Warriors went on to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 in the second round, moving on to the Western Conference Finals where they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder. After being down 3-1 following a Game 4 loss, Thompson helped the Warriors rally in Games 5 and 6 to even the series at 3-3.
Thompson opened the first six games of the 2016-17 season shooting 11-of-53 from 3-point range (20.75 percent). In the last 11 games of November, he then went a combined 39-of-84 from three-point range (46.4 percent). On December 5, 2016, Thompson scored a career-high 60 points (shooting 21-of-33 and 8-of-14 on three-pointers) in 29 minutes over just three quarters in a 142-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 60 points in less than 30 minutes of action.
Thompson had an NBA season-high and career-best performance for the highest-scoring output by a Warriors player in more than 42 years. His 40 first-half points tied him for second-most scored in a half over the past decade. Thompson also became the first Warrior to score 60 points since Hall of Famer Rick Barry's 64 on March 26, 1974, joining Barry and Naismith honorees Wilt Chamberlain and Joe Fulks as the only Warriors players to do so.
On January 26, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. He participated in the Three-Point Contest, but he failed to defend his title as he was eliminated in the first round.
Thompson struggled with his shooting for extended stretches during the playoffs, but his defense against opposing guards like Damian Lillard, Patty Mills, and Kyrie Irving stood out. Following a 129-115 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals over the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors reached their third straight NBA Finals series, becoming the first team in league history to start the playoffs 12-0.
Thompson helped the Warriors win their second championship in three years with a 4-1 series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals.
On October 29, 2017, Thompson scored 29 points in a 115-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons, becoming the eleventh player in franchise history to eclipse 9,000 career points. On December 20, 2017, he scored 27 of his 29 points in the first half and made his first nine field goals in a 97-84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
On December 27, 2017, in a 126-101 win over the Utah Jazz, Thompson hit three three-pointers, moving him into a tie for third with Dana Barros at 89 consecutive games with a three-pointer. On January 17, 2018, he scored 38 points in a 119-112 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
In a 134-127 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 22, 2018, Thompson moved past Joe Barry Carroll's 9,996 points to earn tenth place on the franchise's career scoring list, also becoming the tenth Warrior to reach 10,000 regular season career points. Two days later, in a 112-80 victory over the Thunder, Thompson passed Neil Johnston (10,023) for ninth place on the franchise's career scoring list.
On March 31, 2018, following an eight-game absence with a broken right thumb, Thompson scored 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting in a 112-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings. On April 5, 2018, in a 126-106 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Thompson was 4-of-9 on 3-pointers to move past Tim Hardaway (1,542) for 25th on the league's career list.
Three days later, Thompson scored 22 of his 34 points in the first quarter of the Warriors' 117-100 win over the Phoenix Suns. He helped the Warriors defeat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs in five games, as he scored 24 points in a 99-91 victory in Game 5. As a result, Thompson joined Rick Barry (699) and Curry (652) as Warriors players with 600 postseason field goals.
In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets, Thompson moved past Barry (1,776) for second place on the Warriors' career postseason scoring list. In Game 6, Thompson knocked down nine three-pointers on his way to 35 points, as the Warriors rallied from an early 17-point deficit to stave off elimination with a 115-86 victory over the Rockets.
In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Thompson played in his franchise-record 100th postseason game. He also became the sixth player ever to make 300 three-pointers in the postseason, joining Curry as Warriors to reach the feat.
Over the first seven games of the season, Thompson shot 5 for 36 from behind the arc and failed to have a 20-point game. He did not make multiple three-pointers in any of the contests, a career-worst seven-game drought for him.
On October 29, 2018, against the Chicago Bulls, he hit an NBA-record 14 threes to break Curry's former mark of 13. Thompson scored 52 points in 27 minutes while making 14-for-24 of his threes and shooting 18-for-29 overall from the field. His 10 three-pointers in the first half tied Chandler Parsons' league record set in 2014, and Golden State made 17 threes in the first half to set the NBA record for a half.
On November 24, Thompson scored 31 points with five three-pointers in a 117-116 win over the Sacramento Kings. Thompson moved into 21st place on the NBA's career three-pointers list when he hit his 1,609th in the first quarter, moving past Jason Richardson.
On December 29, Thompson had his second-highest scoring game of the season with 32 points in a 115-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. He shot his way out of a slump by hitting 12-of-21 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
On January 8, 2019, Thompson scored 43 points with seven 3-pointers in a 122-95 win over the New York Knicks. On January 21, he tied an NBA record by making his first 10 attempts from three-point range on his way to scoring 44 points in a 130-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson finished 10-of-11 from beyond the arc and 17-of-20 from the floor overall.
On March 8, he scored 39 points and made nine three-pointers in a 122-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets. On March 13, Thompson scored 30 points in a narrow 106-104 victory over the Houston Rockets.
In Game 3 of the first round of the 2022 playoffs, Thompson scored 26 points in a 118-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets. In Game 1 of the Finals, Thompson passed LeBron James for second on the NBA playoffs all-time three-pointers list. In Game 5 of the Finals, Thompson joined teammate Stephen Curry and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to make at least 100 three-pointers on the championship stage.
On November 20, Thompson scored a then season-high 41 points on 10-of-13 shooting from three-point range in a 127-120 victory over the Houston Rockets. On January 2, 2023, Thompson scored a season-high 54 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 143-141 double overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
On February 6, he scored 42 points with a season-high 12 three-pointers in a 141-114 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On February 24, Thompson scored 42 points and tied his season-high with 12 three-pointers in a 116-101 victory over the Rockets. Thompson became the only player in NBA history to record multiple games with 12 or more three-pointers in a season.
He also has the most games in NBA History with 12 or more threes (3), having surpassed teammate Stephen Curry who has done it twice in his career. In the final game of the regular season, Thompson made his 300th three-pointer in a 157-101 blowout victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
On October 29, 2023, Thompson put up 19 points on five three-pointers made in a 106-95 victory against the Houston Rockets and surpassed Jamal Crawford for tenth on the all-time career three-pointers list.
Career Statistics
Klay Thompson is a five-time NBA All-Star and has made it to both All-NBA Defensive Team and All-NBA Teams. He also won a Three-point Contest in 2016. He is only the third player in the league’s history to make at least 300 three-pointers (301) in a single regular season. Only James Harden and Steph Curry have achieved that feat.
